Manu S. Pillai | |
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![]() Pillai in 2025 | |
Born | 1990 (age 34–35) Mavelikkara, Kerala, India |
Occupation | Writer, historian |
Language | English |
Alma mater | Fergusson College King's College London |
Genre | Popular history |
Website | |
manuspillai |
Manu S. Pillai (born 28th February 1990) is an Indian writer and popular historian. [1] He is known for his works covering the history of India from late medieval through colonial times, with his debut book, The Ivory Throne , winning the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar.
Manu S. Pillai was born in Mavelikkara, Kerala in 1990, and grew up in Pune. [2] He received a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Fergusson College and a Master's Degree in International Relations from King's College London. [3]
Following his education, he worked with the Parliamentary office of Shashi Tharoor in New Delhi and Lord Karan Bilimoria in London. [4] He also worked as a researcher on the BBC Radio 4 series, Incarnations with Sunil Khilnani, which tells the story of India through fifty great lives. In 2017, he became a full time author. [2] [3] He holds a PhD in history from King's College London. [5]
Pillai's debut book The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore , about Rani Sethu Lakshmi Bhay's reign as the regent of Travancore, earned him the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2017. [6] [7] [8] As of 2019, [update] the story was expected to be adapted into a web series by Arka Mediaworks. [9]
Rebel Sultans, Pillai's second work, narrates the story of the late medieval Deccan over four centuries. [3] The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin is a collection released in 2019 consisting of historical anecdotes originally published as columns in various Indian newspapers. [10]
Pillai's 2021 book False Allies concerns the rulers of princely states during the British Raj, focusing on five states whose rulers patronized and were painted by Raja Ravi Varma. [1] In Gods, Guns and Missionaries, first released in India in 2024, Pillai outlines the history of Hinduism during India's colonization by Christian European states. [11]